After our wedding, instead of finding a completely new place, we decided to renovate Andy's studio and make it livable for two freelance artists. This was challenging, as Toni used to live in a large two bedroom apartment, and we both do a lot of work from home! We love that our apartment is multi-functional and serves as the perfect space for living and working together. The key to making this space work is the king size loft bed. With a friend's help, Andy designed and constructed it to serve as our bedroom, while providing ample storage space. It had to be aesthetically pleasing, structurally sound, and functional. Within the unit there are hidden closets for clothes, instruments, music, and space for photo, video, and audio gear. We love the acoustically treated and soundproofed room (formerly a big closet) which serves as a practice room and voiceover booth. Our big eBay find was the Togo sofa; when we need to change the apartment layout, we simply pick them up and move them.

Biggest Challenge of Living in a Small Space:

The biggest challenge of living in a small space is twofold. The first challenge is combating the clutter of random accumulation -- just a few things lying around and the space gets small, fast! Our solution is to have an assigned location for things -- similar to the way a ship is designed. The other challenge is finding ways to separate work life from home life. With computers so nearby and accessible, it can be tempting to check email or work on projects. To avoid this, we make sure the computers are powered down when work time is over. A minimalist approach to life is challenging, and we have to remain conscious about deleting the unnecessary. We have a rule that whenever we absolutely must buy something, it must be truly needed, of high quality and well made, and built to last.